There was not even a mention of blood draw at her 9 mo, so I'm guessin git must be at 12. At least I'll be prepared.

Chiclet - welcome to I&T! I also recommend the classes/support groups if you have one near you. I spoon fed DD for the first few days. Another tip that I found helpful was to pump or hand express some milk before nursing. Especially at the beginning. I would be so full that she couldn't get a good latch, so I'd squeeze some out to make the breast softer and get more of the nipple/areola into her mouth. I also recently saw on the news that a study showed moms/babies who combo feed are likley to BF longer.

DD had blood draws for both her lead tests with no problem (9 and 18 months) - other than crying! I hope they'll do a finger stick for him next time, Poppy!

Keep up the good work Chiclet! It will get easier as you figure out what works best for you and your LO. I felt like I was continuously BFing in the first few weeks, but the feedings will eventually spread out a little.

Trouble, you're right, DS is a sleepy eater. I've been tickling his feet or under his chin to wake him up. I did get a baby scale today and tried weighing him before and after a feeding. He only gained an ounce! It may be my imagination, but I think his latch has gotten worse over the last few days. I am thinking of trying it without the nipple shield to see if maybe we've just outgrown it. I'm pretty much healed, so I could probably do without it. It seems like he'll swallow a few times and then he'll just hang out until I nudge him.

I've also read that some women with PCOS have supply issues. Has this happened to anyone else? I did find out today that both my mother and grandmother were told that they had low supply and weren't able to BF (they probably also have/had PCOS). I don't know if I just come from a long line of women with crappy milk supplies?

Has anyone been to the Baby Cafe at Melrose-Wakefield? I was thinking of checking it out to see if they have any other ideas.

Chiclet, I went to Baby Cafe for about 6 mos and they were fantastic. It's such a comfortable, supportive environment, and the LCs who work there are great. Do be prepared that they're going to try every trick they can think of to get DS off the supplemental formula and 100% bfed, but, that's their job :-). For various reasons (not the least of which was my own sanity), my DS was always combo-fed and I stopped nursing/pumping altogether at 6 mos, and they were very understanding/supportive of that. GL!

I've also read that some women with PCOS have supply issues. Has this happened to anyone else? I did find out today that both my mother and grandmother were told that they had low supply and weren't able to BF (they probably also have/had PCOS). I don't know if I just come from a long line of women with crappy milk supplies?

Has anyone been to the Baby Cafe at Melrose-Wakefield? I was thinking of checking it out to see if they have any other ideas.

I have PCOS and also had breast surgery years ago. I pumped for days and got absolutely nothing. I eventually got so anxious and depressed about it, I had to stop, for my sanity! I still feel guilty about it, but I try not to dwell.

I've never been to Baby Cafe, but I did go to a weekly new mom group at the hospital where I delivered. It was run by LCs and L&D nurses, and I was in the minority as an exclusive FF, but it wasn't ever an issue. It's great just to get out of the house and talk with other new moms about everything. I highly recommend going.

My DD had a blood draw at 12 months for lead too. I think it's pretty common to do a regular blood draw and not a finger stick because they need a fair amount of blood for it. Of course at the time I was kind of alarmed because I wasn't expecting it.

Chiclet - I would highly recommend the Baby Cafe.I didn't absolutely love it, so I only went about 5 times, but I would go again if I had another baby.It was helpful for BFing, but also just for getting out of the house and being somewhere where the other women also had only 5 hours of sleep and you could change a diaper without getting dirty looks, etc.

Could any of you provide some input on daycare centers? I might be moving and thus switching DD to a center since she'd start preschool next year anyway (she's 27 months).I went to look at one today and didn't love it.I know it's a good center because I know three people who use it.Maybe I was just overwhelmed since I'm used to daycare being DD, 2 other toddlers, and 2 infants - not 18 2 year olds running around!Some things that stood out to me were that a lot of the shelves were empty, meaning there weren't as many toys as I expected, and that the toys looked pretty beat up.Of course I don't expect them all to be shiny and new when they're used by 18 kids, but that was just something that stood out to me.Is that the norm for a center?Thank you!!

No, empty shelves should not be the norm. Were the children really "running around" because that sounds like they were aimlessly running around, vs. being interested in various areas of the room and focusing on them. In preschool, which is MA is for children 2 yrs, 9 months, you should see the following "interest areas" where the children can learn specific things with a few friends:

science center (large plastic magnifying glasses, various collections, perhaps plants growing, seeds for counting, sorting and classifying, or rocks, pinecones, etc. that they can explore and learn about. a scale might be here so they can weigh things and find out which things are heavier, lighter, etc. perhaps there are graphs posted about things like "which vegetables our class likes" or "who has green eyes, brown eyes, blue eyes"

dramatic play (often called housekeeping although I hate that because it could also be a doctor's office, restaurant, vet office, garage) - but usally there will be a stove, refrigerator, sink, small table and chairs, and pretend food, dishes, table cloths, telephone, pens and paper for taking orders, dolls, cribs, blankets, dress up shoes, hats, scarves, sometimes clothing.

language/writing center (pens, pencils, markers, paper of various sizes and shapes, stamps with letters and numbers - everything for children to begin doing their own "writing" and making their mark)

art area (where they will be encouraged to get messy and be artistic and creative) -

library/cozy area (where there are books on shelves down low for children to choose and read/look at by themselves, with some pillows, or bean bag chairs or a small sofa or a quilt to sit on and get cozy with a friend or two as you read. puppets might be here, or they might be in another area of the classroom.

tables for lunch, art, play dough with low chairs that the children can get into/out of themselves

cubby for each child

bathrooms which toilets that are either low or with nice firm step stools to get onto the toilet. often you'll see that the bathrooms are used by both girls and boys at the same time - this is fine and great, they can see what the other 1/2 looks like, and is very natural for preschoolers - it's as children get older that they'll want their privacy.

and an area where they can have circle or morning meeting - large enough that all children can come together for stories, songs, finger plays, discussion, etc. this might be using the big block area for circle time, that often happens that you use one area for two uses.

cots or mats for nap time - you'll provide a pack and play sheet and a blanket at nap time.

now, there doesn't need to be 1000 books, 2 million manipulatives choices, but there should be shelves that have several boxes of manips, there should be 10 or 12 books on the book shelf (the teachers will have other books they read to the children that are kept up higher because preschoolers are incredidbly hard on books and will rip them accidently), there should be 4 or 5 sets of plates, cups, bowls and some pots and pans in dramatic play, etc. this way children don't need to fight over scarce resources nor sholud they be arguing over the 2 trucks in the room, they have a hard enough time sharing without having not enough equipment.

if you aren't happy with the center, then it's not a good program for your child, fram! Just because others go there doesn't make it fabulous.

And if your child isn't 2 yrs, 9 months then she's in the toddler/twos program and unless things have changed drastically, the ratio there is 2:9 - that is, 2 teachers, 9 children. In preschool (2.9 yrs to 5 years old) it's 1:10, 2:21 - so 2 teachers with 21 children. Yes, that's a lot of children, but it should still seem that theings are in fairly good control, that the children are busy, involved, and not careening around the room poking and kicking and dumping - that's the sign that they aren't in control of the children, that they don't have enough programming, curriculum development or materials, and I'd stay away. That they have a method to geting the children to leave circle, get their coats on, line up and go outside - instead of a mad dash of 21 children tearing for their cubbies, thrashing into coats, whining they can't zip, etc a teacher might be in the circle while the other teacher positions herself at the cubby area. And dismiss them with "if you're wearing a blue shirt, you may walk over and put your coat on." in a minute or so, "if you're wearing a yellow shirt, you may walk over and put your coat on" and so on.... this makes things more orderly and safe, and actually moves things faster. When most of the children are ready, start walking out the door and the last few children are helped into their coats and then follow the crowd. No need to have the class spend 10 minutes sweating in their coats and mittens and hats! Keep visiting, and do visit at 10am (ish) so you can see the morning progarmming in action - not at 8:30am at drop off, or at pickup times.

Indeed, I love that line, CT, "just because others go there doesn't make it fabulous." Not all parents are looking for education; some are only interested in babysitting. Sounds like that center is a babysitting joint.

I'm joing this conversation at little late Chicklet, but you might want to check out the "exclusively pumping" thread I started a few months ago (January 2013) when my DD was born. I had a heck of time breastfeeding and then tried exclusively pumping and then went to formula feeding all in about the first four weeks. There are some good tips there on supply issues, how to get the most out of pumping, and also just some nice encouragement from these fabulous ladies.

I live in the Melrose area and also went to Baby Cafe a few times, I didn't find it as helpful as some other posters here but I can see how it is very helpful for a lot of people and if/when we have #2 I'll definitely try to bf and will go to the cafe.

If you're looking for things to do that are baby friendly (and not centered around breastfeeding) we LOVED the Informal Baby Songs meet ups. We went to the Wednesday group at the Y in Melrose Sq. and the every other Thursdays at the Oak Grove Village apartments and they were great. There's a facebook group for the baby songs group. Just search for "informal baby songs" in the search bar and it should come up. I think going to that group is one of the things I miss the most from my leave now that I'm back at work.

AFM, DD has been thriving, she's 90th percentile for height and 60th for weight and has been on a great growth curve. She's doing great at her daycare center and they love her. She's there four days a week and one day with my mom. It's crazy how much they grow so fast, she's rolling over and grabbing at everything now. Now that I'm back at work and getting into a routine I hope to post on here more. I love reading everyone's updates.

What sort of bug spray do you use on your LOs? DS will be 1 in two weeks!! and daycare would like to start using something as they are outside twice a day. Wasn't sure if there was a certain brand that I should be buying.

Also, I'm having major issues with missing DS lately. I almost called out of work to spend a day home with him yesterday but decided that was a poor choice as a manager and should really be in the office. As a trade off I'm leaving two hours early this afternoon to get some extra time with him. He's just about to turn 1 so maybe I'm struggling with him growing up? Either way I need to find some more snuggle time with my man! Did others go through this? Does this sneak up on you every so often?

CLC - It sneaks up on me sometimes. Once in a while, a couple of hours after DD's bedtime I REALLY miss her! Not that I am depressed, but I read once that mothers who are depressed are more likely to "accidentally" or intentionally wake up their babies at night. It gave me a little bit of insight into missing her at night - maybe I'm feeling down or maybe it's a certain time of the month. Who knows!

Oh and bug spray - last year I bought the Babyganics brand from BRU, but never used it.

CT - Thank you for your input and info about daycare centers! This center was in NH, so that might be why the ratios sounded off to you. I'm going to look into 2-3 others and see if one of them clicks better. I was hoping I would love this one right off the bat to make this adjustment easier - on me! Thank you for sharing what kind of areas and materials I should see; I'll be able to take it in better next time having that in mind. The center I visited had some of the things you mentioned, if not all.

clc - we use California Baby bug spray, because I trust their products, however I'm not so certain it actually works. No deet, which I've heard is really the only way to truly keep bugs away. And, yes, I absolutely go through periods where I miss my kids terribly while at work. I think it's great that you are taking some time off today to be able to see your little man. That will help.

Thistle - I'm so glad to hear you also had a regular arm blood draw. I have been very upset since reading all of the shock over my pedi doing this. I will still ask her about it, but at least I know someone else has had blood drawn this way.

Have any of you ever noticed your infants (not newborns) having a yellowish skin tone? DS (9.5 months) looks yellow in the face, especially around the nose, in every picture recently. I sort of see it when I look directly at him, but it really comes out in photos. I'm thinking I would like to ask the pedi about this, but honestly I feel a tiny bit silly sending her an email with a pic attached "Does he look yellow to you?"

Also, my pedi has always done complete blood draws. It's a nightmare. I feel complicit in child abuse since they have you hold your own kid in your lap while they do it. ugh. Actually, I've learned there's one woman in the lab (older nurse) who has NO TROUBLE getting the needle in the first time. She always looks slightly annoyed/disgusted when other people have had trouble. Now if I see her in the lab when I have to go in I say "actually, do you mind doing the blood draw, ***? You were the only one who could do it last time." The first time I did this the young nurse was all chirpy like "oh, I can do it tra la la" and then as she screwed it up I stopped her and said "OK. That was a nice try. Can you please get ** now. [put hands over DD's arm and not let them touch her until person who can do her job comes in]"

It's probablya pretty b*tchy thing to do but I don't care. After one experience where multiple people probed around in DD's tiny arm, obviously failing, while it somehow was my responsibility to hold her down and help them hurt her, I would rather be resented for a day by a nurse who is bad at blood draws than watch them all practice on DD. Let some other, more polite mother's children be the test dummies.

Poppy any chance your DS has been loading up on yellow and orange veggies: sweet potato, carrot, squash? Enough of those in the baby's system can cause a yellowish tint. If not I would call the doctor. Also, is it only with one camera? try another and just make sure it's not a camera thing before you call the doctor.

Glad to hear others go through these periods too. I think it's been tough because we've been busy all weekend the past 4-6 weekends and I'm not getting a lot of down time just hanging out with DS. We are always go, go go. Last Sunday morning he just curled up in my lap and snuggled while watching tv. I don't let him watch a lot of tv but I think we both needed that time together so I made a little exception, I figure an hour of Friends re-runs isn't going to hurt him in the long run!

Hi, Mo! See, your LO is thriving!! Isn't it rewarding to see that you have come through that struggle, and you have both come so far. I'm so happy for you!!

CLC - YES! I definitely have days where I miss DD even more, and as she is rapidly approaching the 1 year mark, I find more and more that I miss the baby. F.E., its rare that she'll take a bottle on my lap anymore, only if she is sick or really really tired, and now I miss that. Same with bedtime. Its great that I can put her down awake and she'll go to sleep, but some nights I wish I could still rock her to sleep. Good for you to recognize that you need a couple extra hours. Bet it will make you feel much better. Enjoy this afternoon!

CT - WOW! That was great. And I'm so happy that I was able to pciture all of those things at DDs center as you rattled them off! I knew I picked a good one!

Fram- look at some others and then go back. When I was first looking at centers for DD I was totally overwhlemed - and I told them that. Where DD is now is the first placed I looked. The director there encouraged me to come back for a second tour after I had seen some others and had something to compare it to. Much like picking colleges, wedding venues, etc... it just felt right to send her there. You'll know it when you find the right place.

I thought of possible dehydration, Kar, and jaundice, Lissa. CLC - I just googled it (I know, I tell myself never to do that!) and found the info about too much carotene! Interesting. Well, I bit the bullet and sent a pic to my pedi, so we'll see what she says. If I don't hear back I will take him in early next week. It's photos taken on any camera, so I think it's him.

Officially decided to stop pumping today. Sad about it. The end of my bfeeding era. DS is almost 10 months so it would have come to an end soon anyway, but still sad.

Also, our main daycare teacher was fired the other day! The director called me on my cell to tell me, but said she couldn't tell me why when I asked. DH texted the teacher (we have her cell number because were going to arrange for her to babysit DS and DD soon) who said she was horrified because they called her into the office during lunch and let her go without any warning. Said she was "too loud" and "didn't follow procedure 4 documented times." Told her they were eliminating her position, which is bs. They already told us they are looking for someone else for the position. It all feels wrong, but we don't know all the details. Anyone gone through this? CT, is this at all common amongst corporate daycares? (Bright Horisons)

Poppy, we've had a couple of transitions like this at our center: DD's teacher who was AMAZING got in trouble because she didn't follow the protocol for update forms. She did way, way better than that...doing daily reports for all, personalized weekly update letters and monthly curriculum themes...plus a talk at the end of each day about what she did. But apparently, it's more important to fill the forms out the way they want.

Fortunatley, DD was relatively unscathed by it...for a few days she asked for her old teacher, but then the new one started (who's fine, but not nearly as creative and energetic as the old one) and she did fine.

Which leads me to what's on my mind: my kids are switching daycares in July. Openings at the daycare in DH's building after being on the waitlist for almost a year! I'm not worried about DS, who will be 10 months, as I know he'll be fine, but more worried about DD, who will be starting in a pre-school class (2.9 years at the time of the switch) and leaving the school she's gone to since she was 5 months old, her friends, that familiarity. We're going to an orientation about a week before she starts at the new place, so she can meet her new teacher and the kids, and I know DH will be able to check in on her, but anyone have tips for the transition? We've started to talk about it a little, but any advice would be most welcomed!

Poppy - we had the arm draw at 9 months and at 2 years. I asked pedi about it because it seemed horrible and he gave us a medical reason having maybe to do with the quality of the sample and not damaging the cells, I think. That said, it's clearly not consistent across doctors so if your LO is having a lot of trouble, I would ask about alternatives.

Also, as Lissa said, different techs are better at it. Our pedi told us to take DD to Winchester hospital lab rather than a satellite lab and they did a great job. Nicest ever, and took a long time to find the spot but got it done in one poke. I also see threads on Somerville moms and a lot of people say it's worth the trip to go to the lab at childrens.

Poppy - It's always good to check in with the doc if you're concerned, but it sounds to me like DS eats a lot of carrots, squash, and/or sweet potatoes :o) I've often noticed young kids with a slight orange tint.

Luv - I would love to hear tips on the transition as well! It absolutely breaks my heart to think of taking DD out of her home daycare. I think after DH and I our daycare provider probably knows and loves DD the most. We'll see if I can go through with it. DD would probably switch to more of a preschool setting next year anyway, but I tend to agonize over big decisions. Anyway, one thing I have already thought about is letting DD bring her lovey with her to the new daycare, especially for nap time. That might soothe her if she's feeling anxious.

November, you mention missing being able to rock her to sleep. I actually never rocked DS to sleep, he was always great going to bed wide awake. I'm pretty sure my mother in law did though for his naps when she was in charge, but I let it go, being their thing. Oddly enough, he's now 2.7yrs, about a month ago before bed he asked me to rock him. I said sure. We snuggled for about 2-3 minutes and had a nice chat "did you have a good day, how much does mama love you?..." and still awake, I put him to bed. We've now been doing that most nights. It feels so special, and he still goes to bed wide awake... so I hope I'm not creating a bad habit. We put on his music machine and he knows he gets two songs and then to bed. I just know it won't be long before he definitely doesn't want me to squeeze him anymore... so I am loving this short moment we have every night :-) Even if it adds just a little extra time to bedtime routine.

Luv, one of my friends just moved all three of her girls (4 yrs to 9 mths) from a home daycare they were all in since 3 months, to a center. She was upfront about the pros about the move and they did really, really well. I think kids adapt so much better than we do, and quicker. Pick out the exciting stuff... maybe she gets to now carry a backpack, or can make so many more "big girl" friends.